November 4, 2011
11/4: Cuomo Popular One Year after Election as Governor
NY1/YNN/Marist New York State Poll
New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo remains in the good graces of voters statewide. A majority of registered voters in the state — 55% — think the governor is doing either an excellent or good job in office. Included here are 9% who believe he is doing an excellent job and 46% who say he is doing a good one. More than three in ten — 32% — report Cuomo is performing fairly well in office while only 7% think he is doing poorly. Six percent are unsure.
Andrew Cuomo
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When NY1/YNN-Marist last reported this question in August, similar proportions shared these views. At that time, a majority — 56% — gave Cuomo high marks while 24% thought his performance was average. One in ten — 10% — believed he was falling short, and 10%, at the time, were unsure.
“Governor Cuomo is successfully navigating against a difficult economic current,” says Dr. Lee M. Miringoff, Director of The Marist College Institute for Public Opinion. “What makes his numbers particularly impressive is his popularity despite the anti-government, anti-incumbent sentiment in our politics today.”
And, Cuomo continues to be perceived as likeable. Seven in ten registered voters — 70% — have a favorable impression of Governor Cuomo while 19% have an unfavorable opinion of him. 11% are unsure. When NY1/YNN-Marist last reported this question in August, 67% thought well of Cuomo, 23% did not, and 9% were unsure.
Table: Governor Andrew Cuomo Approval Rating
Table: Governor Andrew Cuomo Approval Rating Over Time
Table: Governor Andrew Cuomo Favorability
Table: Governor Andrew Cuomo Favorability Over Time
Ingredients of Cuomo’s Strong Ratings
Three in four registered voters statewide — 75% — think Governor Andrew Cuomo is a good leader for the state. 19% disagree, and 6% are unsure. Little has changed on this question since NY1/YNN-Marist’s previous survey. At that time, 72% valued Cuomo’s leadership skills, 19% did not, and 9% were unsure.
Has Cuomo kept his campaign promises? Nearly two-thirds of registered voters in New York State — 65% — believe Cuomo has fulfilled the promises he made on the campaign trail while 22% say he has not. 13% are unsure. Here, too, Cuomo is consistent. In August, 66% said he has been true to his word, 19% reported he has not made good on his promises, and 15% were unsure.
When it comes to the impact voters think Mr. Cuomo is having on Albany, more than six in ten — 63% — say he is changing Albany for the better. 28% disagree, and 8% are unsure. A few months have made little difference on this question. In NY1/YNN-Marist’s previous survey, 60% thought the governor was having a positive impact on Albany while 25% thought he was not. 14%, at the time, were unsure.
Ideologically speaking, a majority of registered voters in New York — 53% — say Governor Cuomo is a moderate. 27% believe he is a liberal while 13% report Cuomo is a conservative. Eight percent are unsure. There has been little change in the proportion of voters who think Cuomo is a moderate. In NY1/YNN-Marist’s May survey, a majority — 52% — shared this view. In May, 19% described Cuomo as a liberal, 17% thought he was a conservative, and 12% were unsure.
Table: Governor Andrew Cuomo as Leader
Table: Governor Andrew Cuomo as Leader Over Time
Table: Governor Andrew Cuomo as Fulfilling Campaign Promises
Table: Governor Andrew Cuomo as Fulfilling Campaign Promises Over Time
Table: Governor Andrew Cuomo’s Impact on Albany
Table: Governor Andrew Cuomo’s Impact on Albany Over Time
Table: Governor Andrew Cuomo’s Ideology
Cuomo’s a Man of the Middle Class, Says Majority
A majority of registered voters statewide — 55% — believes Governor Cuomo mostly represents the middle class. 26% think he supports the wealthy while 6% report he represents the poor. Three percent volunteered that they believe Cuomo represents everyone, and one in ten — 10% — is unsure.
Key points:
- Regardless of political party, at least a majority of voters view Cuomo as mostly representing the views of the middle class. 60% of Democrats, 54% of non-enrolled voters, and 51% of Republicans have this opinion.
- While 63% of New York City voters and 61% of those in the city’s suburbs believe Cuomo reflects the views of the middle class, there is less consensus upstate. 47% in this region think Cuomo represents the middle class while 34% believe he reflects the interests of the wealthy.
Table: Governor Andrew Cuomo Represents Which Interests
State Senate and Assembly Approval Ratings Stagnate at Murky Levels
While a majority of voters approve of the job Governor Cuomo is doing in office, the job performances of the New York State Senate and Assembly continue to scrape bottom.
Just 19% of registered voters in New York think the State Senate is doing either an excellent or good job in office. This includes 2% who think it is performing excellently and 17% who report it is doing a good job. 45% believe the legislative body is performing fairly well, and 33% think it is performing poorly. Three percent are unsure.
The State Senate received a similar rating in May when 17% thought it was doing an above average job. 43% gave it fair marks, and 36% believed it fell short. Three percent, at the time, were unsure.
The State Assembly doesn’t fare any better. One in five — 20% — says the Assembly is doing either an excellent or good job in office. Included here are 2% who rate the legislative body as excellent and 18% who give it good grades. 43% rate the Assembly as fair while 33% categorize its performance as subpar. Four percent are unsure.
The Assembly’s approval rating is little changed from May when 17% gave it a thumbs-up. 42% said it was performing fairly well, and 36% gave it a thumbs-down. At that time, 5% were unsure.
It’s not surprising, then, that many voters think that state government needs to be overhauled. In fact, 64% say major changes are needed, and 25% believe minor adjustments are required. 10% report the system is broken and beyond repair while just 1% feels the way things are done in state government in Albany do not need to be changed.
When NY1/YNN-Marist last reported this question in May, 69% said state government needed to undergo major alterations while 22% thought minor tweaking was in order. Eight percent reported state government was too far gone to be fixed, and only 1% believed no changes were needed.
Table: New York State Senate Job Approval Rating
Table: New York State Senate Job Approval Rating (Over Time)
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Table: New York State Assembly Job Approval Rating
Table: New York State Assembly Job Approval Rating (Over Time)
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Table: Status of State Government in Albany
Table: Status of State Government in Albany (Over Time)
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Nearly Half of NYS Voters Think State is Moving in Wrong Direction
The boost in optimism New York State voters experienced just a few months ago about the direction of the state is now tempered. Nearly half of registered voters statewide — 49% — think New York is moving in the wrong direction while 43% say it is moving in the right one. Seven percent are unsure.
When NY1/YNN-Marist last reported this question in August, voters divided. 46% believed the state was traveling along the right path while 45% reported the state’s compass was broken. Nine percent, at the time, were unsure. That August survey marked the first time since March of 2007 that the proportion of voters who thought New York was moving in the right direction outnumbered that of those who thought it was on the wrong path.
Table: Direction of NYS (Over Time)
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Jackpot for NYS? Six in Ten Adults Support Non-Indian Casinos
Should New York State allow non-Indian casinos to open in New York State? 60% of New York State residents support it. 35% oppose these types of commercial operations, and 5% are unsure.
Similar proportions of registered voters in New York share these views. 58% of voters support these casinos while 37% oppose them. Five percent are unsure.
Key points:
- 59% of Democratic voters, the same proportion of non-enrolled voters — 59% — and 56% of Republican voters in New York State are for opening commercial non-Indian casinos.
- There is little difference regionally. Among adults living upstate, 61% back these casinos. 60% of New York City residents and 57% of adults living in the city’s suburbs share this view.
Nearly six in ten adults statewide — 59% — believe allowing commercial non-Indian casinos in New York State is a good way to raise state revenues and create jobs while 37% think it is a bad way to accomplish these goals. Four percent are unsure.
Among registered voters statewide, similar proportions share these views. 57% report these casinos are good for the state financially while 39% say they are a bad method for generating revenues and jobs statewide. Four percent are unsure.
Key points:
- While more than six in ten Democratic voters in New York — 63% — and a majority of Republican voters — 57% — think commercial non-Indian casinos are a good source for raising money, non-enrolled voters divide. Among these voters, a slim majority — 51% — favor the idea while 47% do not.
- More than six in ten adults living in New York City — 63% — and majorities of residents upstate — 56% — and in the city’s suburbs — 55% — believe the operation of commercial non-Indian casinos in New York State is a good way to raise revenues and create jobs.
Table: Support for non-Indian Casinos in New York State (Adults)
Table: Support for non-Indian Casinos in New York State (Registered Voters)
Table: Non-Indian Casinos are a Good or Bad Way to Raise NYS Revenues and Jobs (Adults)
Table: Non-Indian Casinos are a Good or Bad Way to Raise NYS Revenues and Jobs (Registered Voters)
More Residents Form Opinion about Hydrofracking…Still More than One in Five Unsure
42% of adults in New York State oppose the process of splitting rocks underground to remove natural gas while 36% back hydrofracking. A notable 22% are unsure.
In NY1/YNN-Marist’s August survey, 37% were against the process while 32% were for it. At that time, 31% were unsure.
There has also been an increase among registered voters statewide who have formed an opinion about the issue. 42% of voters oppose hydrofracking while 39% support it. 19% are unsure. In August, 37% of voters were against hydrofracking while 33% were for it. At that time, three in ten — 30% — were unsure.
Key points:
- More adults living in New York City — 44% — now oppose hydrofracking. 34% held this view in August. In contrast, there has been an increase in the proportion of residents living in the suburbs of New York City who support the process. 46% favor it while 38% did so in August. Little has changed upstate. 37% now support hydrofracking while 33% did so in the summer.
- Looking at party, nearly half of Democratic voters — 49% — and more than four in ten non-enrolled voters — 42% — oppose hydrofracking. These are increases from NY1/YNN-Marist Poll’s previous survey. At that time, 40% of Democrats and 36% of non-enrolled voters had this opinion. Among Republican voters statewide, a majority — 52% — backs hydrofracking while 43% said the same in August.
Table: Support for Hydrofracking in NYS (NYS Adults)